It is a longstanding tradition for the SSWSC Cross Country Team to hit the road the day after public schools finish for the year.
For many years, we joined other clubs in Bend, OR for late spring skiing and other dryland activities. With snowpack unreliable, this option is not available. Instead, we organized a road trip around the Northern Mountains of Colorado.
Our first stop was Rocky Mountain National Park. We embarked on an early morning road ride up Trail Ridge Road from just inside the Park gate. The road was recently opened for spring/summer/fall visitation. The ride takes the cyclist up to approximately 12,000 feet at the highest point and provides over 4,000 feet of elevation gain. Strong wind brought the air temperature down once we left tree line and this tested the athlete’s fortitude and gear preparation.
Once back to the vans, we loaded up and headed to Silverthorne for the night. The following day we started a classic roller ski from Dillon and skied on the bike path to Copper Mountain.
The next leg took us to Leadville (the highest incorporated town in the USA). That afternoon local trail runner, Christine Horning, on the CMC trail network, guided us. The next day’s forecast looked heavy with the possibility of snow. Luckily, the predicted weather did not materialize and we were able to skate roller ski the 12-mile Mineral Belt Trail in Leadville.
We then travelled via van over Independence Pass into the Roaring Fork Valley. We lodged in Basalt and any activity planned for that afternoon was washed out by thunderstorms.
The next morning was bright blue and warmer- almost summer like. We were able to start our road ride from our accommodations in Basalt. We followed the Frying Pan River up to and past Ruedi Reservoir, logging another 50-mile ride.
/>Our final stop was Eagle, where we stayed overnight and used as a base for our commute to Vail the next morning to compete in the GoPro Mountain Games. Many of the athletes entered an arduous 10k Trail Run, and a couple of athletes entered the Vail Pass Bike TT. Both events provided a significant amount of climbing.
Results from the 10k trail race:
Girls 12-14 Beatrice Bishop ~ 1st
Boys 12-14 Marat Gilfanov~ 2nd
Girls 15-16 Georgia Bishop ~ 1st, Tig Loomis ~ 2nd, Sophia McGinnis-Smith ~ 4th
Boys 15-16 Conor Devin ~ 1st, Bode Rhodes ~ 2nd
The Camp provided many hours of quality training, beautiful surroundings, and memorable times.
